Medicare Advantage

Got Your ANOC? A St. Paul Guide to AEP 2027

For 2027, St. Paul is looking at 27 Medicare Advantage plans: 8 new, 18 gone since 2026, and 9 still here but changed on premium, deductible, plan type or name, 3 of them under a new name. Below, how the lineup shifted in Ramsey County and what to compare, with no plan ranked or recommended.

ST. PAUL — The mail that lands in Twin Cities mailboxes each September looks easy to skip. Don't. The Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC, is the single document that tells you how your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan will work differently in 2027 — and the window to switch, if the new version doesn't fit, closes December 7, 2026.

Here is a plain-language checklist for St. Paul residents to work through before that date.

What is the ANOC and when does it arrive in St. Paul?

The Annual Notice of Change is a short document your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan must send by September 30 each year. It compares this year's plan to next year's — premium, deductible, copays, drug tier changes, provider network updates and extra benefits — side by side.

If yours hasn't shown up by early October, call the plan directly or check your plan's member portal. The companion document, the Evidence of Coverage (EOC), is the long legal version with all the fine print.

What should St. Paul residents check in the ANOC for 2027?

Work through five things, in this order:

1. The cost columns. Look at the 2026 figure next to the 2027 figure for monthly premium, medical deductible, primary care and specialist copays, hospital stays, and the plan's maximum out-of-pocket limit. 2. Your drugs. Pull out your pill bottles and check each one against the 2027 formulary. Tiers move. A drug that was Tier 2 this year can be Tier 3 next year, or require prior authorization it didn't before. 3. Your doctors and hospitals. The ANOC won't list every provider, but the plan's 2027 provider directory will. For St. Paul, that usually means confirming your clinic (M Health Fairview, HealthPartners, Allina, Essentia, or an independent) and your preferred hospital are still in-network for 2027. 4. Extra benefits. Dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter and fitness benefits are the pieces plans change most often from year to year. 5. The plan's service area. Rare, but it happens — confirm Ramsey County is still in the plan's footprint for 2027.

How many Medicare Advantage plans are offered in Ramsey County for 2027?

St. Paul is in Ramsey County, where 7 carriers offered 37 Medicare Advantage plans for 2026 — 3 HMOs, 1 HMO-POS and 33 PPOs, including 7 Special Needs Plans and 32 plans with drug coverage built in. The 2027 lineup publishes on the Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov when Annual Enrollment opens October 15, 2026.

The carriers serving the county for 2026 are Aetna (CVS Health), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Blue Plus, HealthPartners, Humana, Medica and UnitedHealthcare. The table below lists every plan by carrier.

What Part D figures are already set for 2027?

CMS has confirmed three Part D numbers for 2027:

• The out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs rises to $2,400 in 2027 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• The maximum Part D deductible a plan can charge is $700 in 2027 (up from $615 in 2026).
• The national base beneficiary premium is $41.33 for 2027 — this is a formula input, not what any specific plan charges.

The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not yet been announced. CMS typically publishes those in November. Don't rely on anyone's projection — wait for the official number.

The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread drug costs across the calendar year in monthly installments, continues in 2027 and is worth asking your plan about if a high-cost drug lands on your list.

What is the December 7, 2026 deadline, exactly?

December 7, 2026 is the last day to make a change during Annual Enrollment for coverage that begins January 1, 2027. You can:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or back.
• Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.
• Join, switch or drop a stand-alone Part D drug plan.

If you do nothing by December 7, your current plan renews with the ANOC changes applied. There is also a Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 – March 31, 2027, but it is narrower — only people already in a Medicare Advantage plan can use it, and only to switch once or return to Original Medicare.

Where should St. Paul residents go for personalized help?

Three official places, in this order:

• Medicare Plan Finder at medicare.gov — enter your drug list and ZIP code and compare 2027 plans side by side.
• 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Your plan's member services line, printed on the back of your card, for ANOC questions specific to your plan.